


Heroes are for Fiction

by Kaiyou



Series: Scions and Sake [6]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Anime, Cuddling, Drinking, M/M, Manga, Vampires, bc tendou has issues with socks, bnha - Freeform, friendship is important, nonconsentual drug use, shitty vampires, socks again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 11:10:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9488510
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaiyou/pseuds/Kaiyou
Summary: All his life, Tendou has wanted to be a hero. It's probably one reason he loves the stories in anime and manga so much, even if it makes Semi laugh at him.Being a hero in real life, though, is anything but easy.





	

**Author's Note:**

> TenSemi Day 5 - Anime and manga
> 
> I REALIZE that I'm two days late with this - SORRY! Thursdays are really heavy class days and this turned heavy as well (and I might possibly have binge watched Boko no Hero Academia as research yesterday morning *cough*). 
> 
> As an added warning - one of the characters does get put in danger in this, but - well - trust the tags? I guess?

At some point, Tendou was going to destroy all of Semi’s white socks. Maybe gather them all together one night while Semi and Wakatoshi were out touring the arboretum or something. Pile them all in a bonfire on the roof and burn them, perhaps. Or throw them in the dryer and pour in lavender dye. Semi looked good in lavender. That might salvage the damn things. At the moment, though, Tendou was especially annoyed by one pair of tight ankle-length white socks.

The socks in question were being worn by a pair of feet tapping against the kitchen tile and made an ignoble end to a pair of incredibly attractive legs. Semi’s legs weren’t as muscular as Wakatoshi’s, of course; that would probably look strange. They were well-defined and incredibly flexible, however. His thighs were of particular interest, being as how they were currently on display, only marginally covered up by a long light blue flannel shirt.

Tendou’s flannel shirt.

A bit of fabric stuck out from under the shirt - lavender gym shorts with white trim. Sometimes Tendou really wanted to institute a rule that Semi could not go clothes shopping without supervision. He didn’t mind the lavender, but the nylon fabric set his teeth on edge.

Or well, it would, if his teeth were getting anywhere near it.

“Having breakfast, Semisemi?” Tendou asked, leaning against the entryway to the kitchen.

Semi looked up from the paper, lips curling into a smirk as he leaned back in the chair. “Just finished,” he purred, motioning to the two empty bottles on the table in front of him. Shirabu’s blood. They’d been talking again, thank goodness. Things were still strained, but hopefully, they’d get better.

There was still a smudge of red on Semi’s lips.

Tendou wanted to lick it off.

A pink tongue got there instead, Semi tracing the bow of his lips in a way that was crueler than people usually gave him credit for. He and Tendou still hadn’t fucked. Hadn’t even gone past what they’d done in high school, long lazy sessions of making out in bed until one or the other got cheeky and turned over with a simple “sleep well.”

It was a game, a game of desire and temptation and delayed gratification, and Tendou found it intoxicating.

At the moment, however, Semi was cheating.

“Would you like a taste?” he said, letting those thighs fall open, revealing a tantalizing amount of pale unmarked skin. It was flush with the newly imbibed blood. 

Tendou could almost sense the femoral artery pumping blood within Semi’s thigh, making him want to fall to his knees and sink his teeth in -

Then he realized. “Who told you?”

Definitely not playing fair.

Laughing, Semi murmured, “Akaashi might’ve mentioned something about your kink.”

Swallowing, Tendou tried to tear his gaze away from that thigh. The shirt-tails were obscuring the shorts and other areas of interest, but he could just imagine the bulge that lay beyond the soft fabric. “Akaashi, hmm? When -”

“Let’s just say we were in a rather, ah. Intimate state at the time. Back before Shirabu and I started dating.”

“Ah, I see,” said Tendou, sucking in a breath as Semi tugged lightly on the fabric of his shirt, revealing a few more inches of soft inner thigh. Fucking hell. He was this close to throwing caution to the wind and dropping down right there, sucking marks into that pale skin and moving up so that he could make Semi lose all control -

And yes, biting down. Drinking from other vampires wasn’t exactly taboo, but it was frowned upon in most circles. It certainly wasn’t efficacious for feeding, not really. Still, could anyone blame him for thinking the idea of biting into Semi was hot? 

“It doesn’t bother you?” Tendou asked, glancing up at Semi’s face.

There was no hesitation in those sharp eyes. “I’m game if you are,” he purred. “Game for a lot of things, actually.”

Fuck, but Semi was attractive as hell. 

“Is that so?” Tendou asked, walking closer to the table, letting one of his knees brush against the inside of that well-displayed thigh. “You should tell me what those things are.”

Inches away. All he’d have to do was lean over and brush his fingers against that warmth, squeeze, make Semi do more than just curl his lips into a grin before speaking. 

“Mmm, if you’re really that curious -”

“Dammit, you two seriously need to get a room. Wait, what am I thinking. You have a room. Why don’t you just go fuck like normal people.”

Whipping his head around, Tendou scowled. “As a matter of fact -”

Kawanishi just yawned, flipping him off as he opened the fridge. “Morning, boss,” he said, pulling out a carton of orange juice.

“It is technically my apartment, so all the rooms are mine.”

Drinking straight from the carton, Kawanishi seemed to think this over. “Well, if you’re going to turn this place into an orgy house I’m not sure I’d object - except then I’d have to see your pasty-white ass staring me in the face every night. Real boner-kill that one.”

Semi was chuckling. Semi should not be chuckling at the thought of Tendou’s naked ass.

“Well, I don’t really wanna see your naked butt either! Sheesh!”

Ok, that got an outright laugh.

Sighing dramatically, Kawanishi stuck the orange juice back in the refrigerator. “At least Reon appreciates my nudity.”

“Evidently,” Tendou said, eyeing the hickeys on Kawanishi’s stomach when he lifted his shirt and scratched. It was almost criminal that his human was getting more ass than he was. 

“Yeah. Oh yeah - we’re still doing that marathon today, right? Once Reon and Waka get home?”

“Ah! Shit yeah!” Tendou said, turning to smirk as Semi groaned. “You promised, Semisemi.”

“I know, but - ugh. Anime.”

“Dope,” Tendou said, ruffling Semi’s hair and turning to Kawanishi. “Did Shirabu say if he’d come over and join us?”

“Ah, not tonight, I think. You know he’s always skittish about coming over here when Waka’s around.”

He knew. For a moment Tendou frowned, then dismissed his worries. Things between Shirabu and Semi wouldn’t be healed overnight, and it was fine for Shirabu to do what he needed when it came to Wakatoshi. They all wanted the two of them to be able to be friends but were also respectful of Shirabu’s need to work things out.

“Well, at least that means we get to cuddle on the couch,” Semi mused.

Tendou gave him a fond smile, then had a thought. “Are you going to watch the anime in that outfit, or was that just meant to seduce me?”

Semi’s mouth fell open in surprise, and Kawanishi snorted behind them.

“Excuse you, I happen to like these clothes. They’re comfortable.”

“The shirt’s great. The shorts are nylon, though. Do you have nylon rubbing against your junk? Please tell me you at least have underwear on.”

“So what if I don’t!”

“Those things are so short your dick could fall out and give Reon a heart attack! Plus - chafing!”

Huffing, Semi said, “I think I’d know if I was chafing, Satori.”

“And then there are the socks.”

“What’s wrong with the socks? My feet get cold!”

Tendou just stared at him, just trying to understand his boyfriend’s reasoning. He heard the sound of a door opening in the background but ignored it in favor of mustering all his arguments about the little portents of the apocalypse of good fashion sense. 

“They’re white! And knit! And ankle-length! Plus you pull the damn things up when they should be folded down, at least! They squeeze your poor little ankles and leave lines on them after you take them off! They’re going to kill off all the hair follicles and then you’re going to go through eternity as a vampire with hair on only most of his legs! Do you even remember Kawanishi’s uncle?”

“Great-uncle,” Kawanishi corrected.

“Great-uncle, then. But he had no hair at all on his lower legs because he spent all day in the garden wearing sandals and socks because none of us were awake to tell him what a horrible idea it was!”

Looking offended, Semi said, “He was human. Vampires do not lose their hair. Vampires do not get bald, even on their legs!”

Opening his mouth, Tendou tried to think of a good retort, almost throwing up his hands in despair at his boyfriend’s stubbornness.

“I believe he would most likely still love you even if you were bald, Eita,” said a new voice, arms sliding around Tendou in a gentle hug.

Damn Wakatoshi. He was probably smiling too.

Tendou sighed and let his hands rest on top of his other boyfriend’s, leaning back against his warm bulk. “That’s beside the point,” he muttered. “He should still stop wearing the damn things. I can keep his feet warm better than they can.”

“Is this a new kink I should know about?” Semi asked dryly.

Giving him a dirty look, Tendou refused to reply. He did not have a foot fetish - though if he did, he supposed it would be for Semi’s feet. Not that his feet were especially delicate or lovely, but it was Semi, and Tendou did, in fact, love all things Semi.

“If you would prefer, we can wait an hour or so to start the show,” Wakatoshi said. “Allow the two of you to resolve this.”

“Nah,” Tendou said, watching as Semi agreed. Not that either of them was against the idea of sex, of course, but the game had gone on this long just fine. They hadn’t talked about it, but he was fairly certain they both wanted the resolution to be something fairly special.

Fuck, he’d never been this much of a romantic in his entire life. Semi did things to him. So many things.

“Well then. I would suggest that Eita would be more comfortable with longer pants on, perhaps, and a different shirt since you will be sitting in my lap. I know how warm you get.”

Semi’s eyes went wide as he stared at Wakatoshi, then he nodded and scampered off towards the bedroom. 

In a way, Tendou mused, it was a shame Wakatoshi wasn’t into sex. That voice could do wonders in the bedroom. 

Then he banished the thought. He had the whole package in Wakatoshi. The reality of that was better than anything he might make up in his head.

He probably just needed to get laid. Soon. Once Semi and he stopped being stubborn about it.

So, in two centuries.

Laughing to himself he turned in Wakatoshi’s arms and slid his hands around the back of his neck, noting that Reon and Kawanishi had already left the kitchen. 

“Good day?” he asked, frowning and turning Wakatoshi’s head to the side to stare at an unwelcome bruise.

“New fighter. Kazuma. A bit unpredictable.”

“Unpredictable?” 

Wakatoshi shrugged. “Akaashi and Kenma didn’t seem to like his vampire much, though that may have been because of the way he was talking to Kuroo. Bokuto as well, but mainly Kuroo.”

The name didn’t sound familiar. “Who was his vampire?”

“Hmm. Blond? Dyed, I believe, a part of his hair was brown.”

Blond. Ugh. Wakatoshi was no help.

He’d check with Akaashi later - or hear about it if it really was a problem. 

“Are you two slowpokes ready?” Semi asked, stepping back into the kitchen.

He’d changed into a short t-shirt and a pair of loose gray exercise pants and had thankfully lost the socks. He’d still look better out of the clothes entirely, but Tendou wasn’t going to complain about what was on display.

No, he wasn’t going to complain at all.

“Deku time!” Tendou cheered, hurrying them all into the living room, where Kawanishi and Reon were making out on the loveseat. “Hey! No sex in the living room when we’re about to watch anime.”

Kawanishi shot him a lazy look and then sighed, winking at Reon before turning in his lap and picking up the control. “Had to find some way to pass the time while waiting for you three to get your act together.”

Ignoring that, Tendou plopped down on the couch next to Ushiwaka and lifted his arms so Semi could get his legs situated as he lay across them. 

“I hope this is at least somewhat bearable,” Semi said.

The first episode had him rolling his eyes. 

By the second, he was sitting up on the edge of his seat during the big fight, though he rolled his eyes at the ending. 

Tendou just sat back and smiled, pleased when the next couple of episodes had Semi sliding off Wakatoshi’s lap and into the space between them, eyes fixed on the screen.

“How long is this series?” he asked after the ninth episode.

“Thirteen episodes,” Tendou murmured, trying to contain his pleasure at the frown on Semi’s face.

“Too short,” Semi muttered. 

Glancing over at Kawanishi, Tendou caught his smirk.

“Didn’t you give the manga for this away to one of the kids back home?” Reon asked.

“I did,” said Tendou, faking sorrow. 

Semi just grunted, leaning forward with his chin in his hands while Wakatoshi watched him fondly.

“I am pleased you seem to enjoy this, Eita.”

Turning, Semi started to glare and deny it. He ended up just pouting a bit as Wakatoshi patted his back. Truly, Wakatoshi was as powerful as All-might in his own way. 

The last episode had Semi on the edge of his seat, then on his feet during the last fight.

“Wait,” he said after the credits were over. “Wait, that’s it?”

“Well, that’s the entire anime,” Tendou said, lips curling into a smile as he sat back.

“But - but - “

“I mean, there’s more to the story of course. Get to find out a lot more about the fire and ice guy you thought was like Shirabu. But you actually have to read to find out.”

Crossing his arms, Semi said, “Shut up. I don’t mind reading.”

“Oho? I thought you hated manga, though.”

“I - don’t exactly hate it.”

Tendou glanced at Wakatoshi. “What was that he said? 'Manga is kids stuff, I don’t know why you insist on having a whole bookcase full of it?'”

“I do believe that is what he said, yes.”

“Waka! You aren’t ganging up on me, are you?”

It was impressive how Wakatoshi’s lips only quirked the tiniest amount before he said, “I would never want you to feel I didn’t have your best interests at heart, Eita.”

Semi sighed, exasperated. “Fine then,” he said, stalking out of the room.

That made Tendou sit up. “Eh? Semisemi? What are you -”

Getting up Tendou followed him, stopped by the door slammed in his face. 

“Hey! That’s my room! What are you -”

“Shut up!” Semi yelled through the door. “I’m changing.”

“Changing?” Tendou whispered, looking over at where a concerned Wakatoshi had followed him down the hall.

They only had to wait a few moments before the door was pulled back open. “Yes, changing,” Semi said, unsuitably attired in a purple sweater, orange scarf, and jeans. “And if you say anything about my outfit I’m leaving you here.”

Exchanging a look with Wakatoshi, Tendou asked, “Ah, where are we going?”

Pushing past them, Semi said, “We’re going shopping, obviously,” before turning to a gaping Kawanishi and Reon. “Hey, if you two fuck on the couch make sure to use febreeze afterward.”

Kawanishi recovered first. “Got it, boss’ boss!” he said, saluting.

Tendou gave him a dirty look, trying to ignore Wakatoshi’s light chuckles.

“Boss’ boss. I like that,” Semi said, turning to wink at Tendou. “Well? Are you coming?”

Sighing, Tendou nodded, gaze drifting down. At least the jeans fit well.

And he’d follow that ass anywhere.

~~~~~~~~

It really was lovely watching Wakatoshi and Semi in public. Probably a good thing he wasn't a jealous type, too. Wakatoshi was not bothered by handholding in the least, and while Tendou wasn't really fond of public displays of affection, Semi seemed to love holding Wakatoshi’s hand. The bond they shared was so different than how Tendou felt about Wakatoshi, or how he felt about Semi for that matter. It was probably obvious to any outside observer that Semi was head over heels in love with Wakatoshi. His eyes lit up as he talked, cheeks almost glowing. He was so happy. Looked like he felt so safe.

It made Tendou feel even more in love with the both of them, each in their own way. He hadn’t ever told Semi he was in love with him, of course. Not yet. Not in so many words. But they’d figure out the words.

Possibly once they figured out how to take each other’s clothes off.

“Sir? I’m free if you’re ready.”

“Ah! Yes, yes, of course,” Tendou said, tearing his eyes away from where his boyfriends stood together outside the bookstore and hurrying up to the counter. “Thank you.”

“No problem, sir,” the cashier said.

Tendou smiled at her, placing all the volumes they’d found on the counter before he looked back out the window. Semi was laughing now, describing something to an indulgent-looking Wakatoshi. Probably teasing Tendou or something; Semi had been adamant that Tendou wasn’t, in fact, anything like Deku. 

That was obviously because Semi had no understanding of how these stories truly worked. For his part, he was still trying to convince Semi he was like Bakugo. He was certainly fiery enough, and the hair color almost fit.

Thanking the cashier he started to walk out of the store, eyes going wide as he saw a certain familiar figure running up to his boyfriends.

“What the hell?” Shirabu yelled, looking flushed and a little unsteady on his feet. “You told me - have you been hiding this?”

Semi looked shocked, his face going from happy to almost frightened in a matter of seconds. “Shirabu? No, what, wait, I thought you had a -”

“What, didn’t trust me to know, Semi? Did you feel sorry for me or something? Or were you laughing at me behind my back?”

“No, no,” Semi said, eyes going red as Wakatoshi wrapped his arms around him. 

“Shirabu-san, I think -”

“And what about Tendou? Does he have any clue about this? Have you even bothered to tell him? For fuck's sake, Semi, he’s been in love with you since we were kids - I thought you were together!”

“I - “ Semi said, glancing in Tendou’s direction.

“You know what, forget this. Forget all of this,” Shirabu said. Shaking his head and turning to glare at a man who’d come up behind him before looking back at Semi and Wakatoshi. “Just - delete my number or something. I’m done.”

“Shirabu -” Semi said - but Shirabu was already turning and walking away, followed by the man.

Tendou walked up to his boyfriends, pressing the bag at Semi before raising a hand to his cheek.

Semi was blinking rapidly, eyes wide as he tried to breathe and speak at the same time. “Sa - Shira - hate -” 

“Shh, shh,” Tendou said, glancing up at Wakatoshi worriedly before pressing his forehead to Semi’s. “Shh, it’ll be fine, he doesn’t hate you.”

“But he -”

Semi was shaking now, tears leaking from his face. Tendou glanced around, angry at anyone who would stare at his boyfriend right now. 

Wakatoshi gently turned Semi towards him and drew him close without a care about the bloody tears probably staining his shirt. “The man who was following Shirabu was a vampire,” Wakatoshi said. “I am concerned his intentions might have been less than pure.”

Trust Wakatoshi to keep a cool head when everything seemed to be falling apart. Dammit, fuck, shit. The first time Semi had actually initiated the three of them going out in public and now this - fuck.

It took a moment for Semi to react to the words, pushing away from Wakatoshi's chest and looking at Tendou with wild eyes. “Is he going to hurt him? If he - I swear I’ll fucking -”

“Hush, I’ll go check on him. Try to calm down, ok? Why don’t you two go back to the apartment, I’ll catch up."

Semi nodded, leaning against Wakatoshi.

Fuck, it would be nice when things were back to normal. It made Tendou sick to see Semi so fucking fragile. 

Too much had happened lately.

Walking away, Tendou tried to figure out where Shirabu had gone. It wasn’t too hard to find him, really; a human out and about at this time of night was unusual in this part of town. People were happy to point him in the right direction, though the last woman he spoke to looked a bit concerned as she pointed out where she thought Shirabu and the man had gone.

Turning down the alleyway she'd indicated, Tendou frowned. Shirabu had a hand on the wall and was glaring up at a man who seemed far too close.

“I said I’m not interested,” hissed Shirabu.

“Come on,” the man wheedled. “It’s a good offer. You’ve lost your regular contract lately, right? I know people like you, you’ve got to be feeling it -”

“I said!”

“He said he’s not interested,” Tendou growled, moving between them and shoving the man away. A low-level scumbag, looked like - probably in his second or third century but without decent clothes to show for it. His whole manner was sleazy.

“Hey, hey, I’m not looking for any trouble here,” the man said, waving his hands. “I know the law, wasn’t going to do anything without his consent.”

“Sure looked like you weren’t taking no for an answer.”

A small hand curled into the fabric at the small of Tendou's back. The very fact that Shirabu was seeking support meant he’d been scared.

“You wound me, man, really. Look, just - keep my card, kid, ok? Never know when you might need someone like me.”

“Get the fuck out of here,” Tendou said, reaching back as the man scurried out of the alleyway and onto the street. He waited until it was safe before turning and looking down at Shirabu. “You ok?”

The human’s face was stoic, but Tendou knew him well enough to know he was anything but. 

“Thank you,” Shirabu said, voice deceptively calm. “He wanted me to go work at a bloodhouse.”

Rage crawled up Tendou’s throat, making him wish he’d torn the man’s throat out. “Do you know which one?” he asked.

Pulling a card out of his pocket, Shirabu gave it to him. 

“You were keeping -”

“He shoved it in there,” Shirabu said, hands trembling. “Touched me - I shouldn’t’ve come down the alleyway. I thought he was just an asshole when he started hitting on me at the bar, didn’t expect him to follow me when I left, much less -”

“Hey, hey,” said Tendou, patting Shirabu’s shoulder awkwardly. Twice in one night, he was having to calm people down. Calm his best friends down. Sometimes he hated the world. “He’s gone. You know we’d never let you be taken to one of those places - why were you even -”

“What, it’s my fault because I went alone to a bar?” Shirabu said, glaring at him. Something about the glare was off, though, head unsteady.

“I didn’t say that,” Tendou murmured.

Shirabu looked down. “No, but you were probably thinking it,” he spit out, wrapping his arms around himself. “Wondering why the delicate human even dared step outside alone in this part of town. ‘It’s not high school, Shirabu. You don't have an alert bracelet to protect you anymore, Shirabu.’ I’m so fucking tired of all of this shit -”

Tendou frowned at how woozy his friend was acting. “Hey,” he said. “Hey, it’s ok - Shirabu?”

Stumbling, Shirabu fell back against the alley wall, making Tendou start forward in alarm. 

“How much did you have to drink?”

“Not much,” Shirabu said, looking up as Tendou gently raised his chin. 

His eyes looked dilated. Not a great sign.

“That fucker - did he buy you a drink?”

“Maybe,” Shirabu said, shrugging and looking to the side. “It was good. We were just talking, but he started getting creepy so I left. I wasn’t - wasn’t sure -”

Catching him as he started to fall, Tendou cursed the vampire, cold fear rushing through him. If they hadn’t decided to come to the bookstore - if Shirabu hadn’t seen Semi and Wakatoshi together -

Narrowing his eyes, Tendou picked Shirabu up, feeling his arms loosely wrap around his neck. Pushing away his own anxiety, Tendou hurried out to the street and flagged down a cab. 

“You ok there, mister?” the cabbie said as they got in, eyeing Tendou worriedly.

“He’ll be fine,” Tendou replied, brushing Shirabu’s hair back from his face. Fucking pimps. The man was an idiot, obviously had no clue who he was messing with - but still. The thought that someone might’ve snatched Shirabu up off the streets to turn him into a bloodwhore was chilling. He’d hated to see Semi panicking earlier, but it was nothing compared to how he would react if Shirabu disappeared.

Too much. This was all just too much.

He gave Shirabu’s address to the cabbie, rubbing Shirabu’s back and sending a text to his father with a picture of the pimp’s card. At least he knew that would be taken care of. He was tempted to send a picture to Oikawa as well, but going through legal channels was probably best at this point. 

The first priority was taking care of his friend.

He managed to get Shirabu up and into his apartment, worried when the man started to moan and rub at his skin.

“Hey, hey there,” he said, laying Shirabu out on the couch. “What’s wrong?”

“Hurts,” Shirabu said, writhing. “Hurts, off, hot.”

Worried, Tendou checked his pulse. Fast but steady, though the redness of his skin worried him. 

“How long has it been since you’ve given blood, Shirabu?” he asked, not getting a sensible answer from the man. Too long, probably. The asshole had been right about that. Fuck, Tendou should’ve checked on him. It was all just happening so fast.

At least Shirabu had settled down a bit, head rocking from side to side on the pillow.

Water. Water would be good. 

Tendou rushed into the kitchen and got a glass of water, noticing a blood pressure cuff on the table. There were a needle and a few empty bottles there too. Returning to the couch he set the glass to the side and checked Shirabu’s blood pressure.

Not too high. That was good.

Shirabu wasn’t awake enough to drink, though. Sighing, Tendou moved his friend, sitting on the couch and setting Shirabu's head in his lap. 

Nothing to do but wait.

He rubbed Shirabu’s back and bit his bottom lip, trying to look up what the man might’ve given him.

GHB, maybe? Roofies? Great, one possible side effect was lower blood pressure. Frowning, Tendou checked Shirabu’s pulse again. It was slow but not too slow, and he seemed to be passed out. He’d probably be safe. 

Shirabu was nothing if not resilient.

Now, if only he could be happy as well.

~~~~~~

When Tendou woke up, Shirabu was curled up on the other end of the couch nursing the glass of water.

“Fuck,” he muttered. The sludge in his veins let him know the sun was up. Luckily, all of Shirabu’s apartment was sunproofed.

“I’m assuming you didn’t take advantage of me while I was passed out,” Shirabu muttered. “My memory of the last few hours seems a bit blurry.”

“Blurry?” Tendou asked, selfishly hoping that the loss of memory included the fight in front of the bookstore.

“Yeah. Last I remember was the alleyway. Before that, ah -” There was a delicate hesitancy in Shirabu’s eyes, then his brow furrowed. 

“Yes?” Tendou asked.

“Ah. I saw Semi.”

“Oh,” Tendou said, trying to school his face into something vaguely expressionless.

“Yeah, uh. I don't know if you know - if you don’t, I hate to break it to you but - did you know he and Ushijima are seeing each other? Um, I saw them holding hands, and they looked - ugh. They looked really together.”

Oh, Shirabu. Tendou’s heart ached for him, for the goodness in his heart. 

“I know,” Tendou said.

“Oh,” Shirabu said, looking down. “Are - are you ok? I mean - fuck. This is so crazy.”

“It is,” Tendou said, “and I am. It’s - ah. It’s complicated.”

How to explain the fact that he was fine with it because he was dating them both?

Maybe by just saying it. Would that piss Shirabu off even more, though? Was it even his business?

“I see,” Shirabu said, curling up further. “Fuck. Why the fuck didn’t they just tell me?”

“Maybe Semi was worried about you?” Tendou asked, looking around the apartment. He hadn’t noticed before, but it looked worse than he’d ever seen it. There were empty takeout cups on the coffee table, food cartons stacked on one of the chairs.

“I’m fine, really,” Shirabu said, following his gaze. “Just - hard to get used to things without Semi around. He was the one who got really anal about this stuff, and I’ve been out looking for a job. Especially if I’m going to keep this apartment now that Semi’s gone. Washijou offered to let me move back in after he heard, but I was planning on a few more years of independence first, you know? The way things are going, I may have to break into my retirement.”

“It’s that bad?”

Shirabu shrugged. “Everything’s that bad lately,” he mumbled.

It wasn’t. Tendou wanted to tell him it wasn’t. 

“And everything here reminds me of him,” Shirabu muttered. “Everything at Washijou’s would remind me of him too, though. Fuck. Maybe I could find a cheaper place somewhere that isn’t sunproofed, but I still need a decent job, you know? I was hoping -”

He stopped, looking down into the glass of water.

“What?” Tendou prodded, trying to be gentle.

“That guy. The one at the bar? He was supposed to be from one of those agencies. You know, the ones where you can -”

Shirabu’s face twisted up just saying it.

“You mean - Shirabu, do you really - are you thinking -”

“Well I’ve got to give blood anyway, right? I mean, my headache isn’t just from whatever shit that asshole probably slipped into my drink. Fuck that was stupid of me. But it’s true, and if no one wants to hire me to actually work in business, I figured, why not freelance?”

“Oh.”

“You think that’s gross? Whoring myself for my blood?”

Frowning, Tendou said, “It’s your blood. It’s your body, your call what you do with it. I mean, people sell their labor all the time when they work, I don’t really see why any profession is worse than another as long as you aren’t hurting anybody.”

Shirabu studied his face for a long moment before looking away. 

“I don’t want to actually - you know - whore myself out.”

Tendou nodded. “It’s still up to you,” he murmured.

“Yeah, and look where my first attempt got me,” Shirabu whispered. “If you hadn’t been there -”

“I was,” Tendou said.

“I’m glad. Just once, though - fuck. Sometimes I get so tired of being human.”

Lips curling up, Tendou said, “I’d help you with that if it wasn’t illegal.”

Shirabu huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, I’m not sure the solution is for me to gain everlasting life at the cost of yours.”

“Yeah,” said Tendou, laughter slowly dying away.

The silence stretched between them, broken only by a few sips of water.

“Do you really want to sell your blood?” Tendou finally asked. 

“I think so,” Shirabu said. “Someone has to take it. Semi - fuck. But he’s fine, right?”

Tendou thought about how to answer that. In some ways, he thought the blood dependence between the two of them had grown unhealthy. Sometimes he wondered if Shirabu thought Semi only needed him for his blood. Sometimes he thought Shirabu almost needed to be needed for that, and it worried him. He didn't want Shirabu to think any of them only wanted him for what flowed in his veins. He was more, so much more than that.

“He has the blood he needs, yeah, but he misses you,” Tendou said. “He’s shaky. You both are, I think - this might not be the best time to make major decisions, to be honest.”

“You’re probably right,” Shirabu muttered, laughing dryly. “My savings won’t hold out forever, though. I have to do something.”

Biting his bottom lip, Tendou ran through things in his mind. A stupid idea came to him. A really stupid idea, but -

“I have a thought,” he said.

“Oh, should I go grab a camera? Commemorate this historic occasion?”

“Asshole,” Tendou said, frowning before continuing. “Ah, if you’re all so fired up about selling your blood - sell it to me?”

Shirabu blinked at him. “You mean - like the bottles I’ve been making for Semi?”

“Ah, sure. I could start paying you for those -”

“That wasn’t what you meant though, was it.”

“No that’s fine -”

Anything was, really, if it kept Shirabu safe. Intellectually he knew that people sold blood all the time, but emotionally the idea of Shirabu out there, letting strange vampires bite him -

“That won’t work,” Shirabu said.

“Eh? Why not?”

“The whole bottling thing - it’s annoying and painful, and my arm aches afterward. And I miss - well.”

When Tendou looked over, Shirabu’s face was scrunched up in disgust. Oh. That. The euphoria.

It wasn’t anything to be ashamed of, he didn’t know why Shirabu looked like that. It was a perfectly normal reaction to a bite, intended to make sure the process wasn’t harmful to the donor. Still, society had a way of sexualizing anything these days.

Haltingly, Tendou said, “Do you want me to bite you?”

“No! Fuck. Maybe,” Shirabu said, frowning. “I want someone to, at least. I haven’t been bitten since before Semi left.”

“Oh.” 

For some reason, he’d thought that their making up had included some feedings. Evidently not.

“And I mean - I’m not fucking you, of course, or taking my clothes off -”

“I’m fairly sure we established neither of us is interested in that sort of thing with each other.”

“Well, good. But - if you’re willing -”

Shirabu was holding out his wrist. It was an unexpected temptation.

“Right now?” Tendou asked, staring at the thing. 

“You offered!” Shirabu said. “Like -”

“But shouldn’t we talk about payment first? I mean -”

“Oh fuck, now that it’s inches from you, you don’t want it? Dude, you’ve been drooling over the thought of my blood since I was eleven!”

“Have not!”

“Bullshit! Fuck, Semi, just -”

Tendou froze. “I’m not Semi.”

Now, Shirabu really did look sick. “I didn’t - I didn’t mean -”

“Yeah,” said Tendou. “I know.”

Sighing, he scooted closer to Shirabu, reaching out to pat his bowed head. Fragile. Both of his friends were so fragile right now, and he was terrified that one of them was actually going to break.

“I trust you, Tendou,” Shirabu muttered, clutching his empty glass close to his head. “I trust you. Semi - Ushi - I don't know what to think, it just hurts, hurts so much. But I need this or I’m going to explode. I’m just so tired. So tired, and last night was awful and scary and I don’t know what to do.”

“Hey, hey,” Tendou said, feeling awkward as he pulled him close for the second time in the span of a few hours. “You’re upset. We don’t need to do this right now. We can wait till you’ve calmed down, till you’re feeling better -”

“I won’t feel better until some of this drains, though,” Shirabu whispered. “We both know that. And I’d rather have your teeth than a needle digging into my arm - is that too much to ask?”

It wasn’t. “Fine,” Tendou murmured. “Wrist?”

Shirabu shrugged. “Or my neck. Whatever. I mean, you’re right there.”

Nodding, Tendou brushed the hair away from Shirabu’s neck. It was almost amusing - here he was, inches away from the blood that most of the vampires in his school had lusted over for years, and he was almost sick at the thought of drinking it.

But he would. For Shirabu.

The man in his arms gave a little jerk when his teeth went in, sighing as the endorphins started to flow. His blood did taste incredible, rich and thick and flavorful. Tendou didn’t really care, though. This wasn’t for him.

He drank slowly, rubbing Shirabu’s back as the man started to relax. Tonguing the wound closed he pulled back. “Good?” he asked.

Shirabu nodded, leaning against his chest a few moments. “Much better than a needle.”

It felt almost anticlimactic now that it was over.

The first person to drink from Shirabu besides Semi. Seemed like it should’ve been something momentous, something special.

Shirabu deserved special.

Fuck, as far as Tendou was concerned, Shirabu deserved the best in the world.

“You can figure out a fair rate tomorrow,” Shirabu said, pushing away and not meeting his eyes. “I want to go to bed.”

“Shirabu -”

“I’m fine,” Shirabu said, standing up from the couch and giving a little wave. “Ah, feel free to sleep here I guess? I’d offer the bed, but.”

“It’s fine,” Tendou said, frowning up at him. “Are you sure you’re ok?”

Shirabu’s eyes looked red as he glanced at him, but he gave a wan smile and nodded. “Thank you, Satori,” he murmured. “For everything. You’re a good friend.”

“You’re worth it,” said Tendou, watching as Shirabu shuffled off into the bedroom alone.

Flopping down on the couch he covered his face with a pillow. This whole thing made him want to scream.

~~~~~~~~~

“Where the fuck have you been?” Semi asked when he walked through the door.

“Nice to see you too, Eita,” Tendou said, sighing and opening his arms as Semi hugged him tightly. “Hey, I’m fine. I was at Shirabu’s place.”

“You smell like him,” Semi muttered. “Is he ok?”

Mentally Tendou edited the events of the prior evening, trying to decide how much to tell him. “He’s ok now,” he said. “Things got a little rough, but he’s fine. I need to tell you, though - I ended up drinking from him.”

Semi pushed away, searching his face for a moment, wrapping his arms around himself.

Well, that was expected.

Turning away, Semi walked towards the living room. “He asked you, I assume?”

“He did.”

“I see.”

Walking toward him, Tendou reached out a hand and gently touched his shoulder, wondering how he would react.

He leaned back a bit, glancing over his shoulder at Tendou and shrugging. “Sorry,” he murmured. “It’s - I wasn’t expecting it. It makes sense, though.”

Wakatoshi was reading a copy of Shonen Jump that Tendou had picked up at the bookstore, flipped to the back to read the ads as usual. “You realize,” he said, “that I would not be uncomfortable if either of you chose to date Shirabu-san. Just because I am only interested in friendship with him does not mean either of you should limit yourselves.”

Semi laughed, turning to look fondly at Tendou. “I’m - I’m not sure that’s it, Waka,” he murmured, going around and curling up on the couch next to him. “Thank you, though. You’re wonderful.”

“He always has been,” Tendou agreed, glancing down the hall to where Reon’s door was closed before joining them on the couch. “And yes. Shirabu’s one of my favorite people in the whole world, but I don’t want to date him. It was just blood exchange, Semi, nothing more.”

“I know. It’s still, just - just blood exchange, is still -”

Tendou nodded, lifting an arm as Semi turned and snuggled against him.

Petting Semi’s back, he kissed the top of his head. “He doesn’t hate you either,” he murmured, feeling Semi’s arms snake tighter around him. “He’s just hurting. Worried about money, too - and, ah, he was a little drunk last night.”

He decided to keep the issue of the drink being drugged between himself and Shirabu, at least for now. Well, that and the fact that Shirabu was looking to hire his blood out for money. Tendou wanted to help him put that off as long as he could, try to find him a job with other connections - but realistically, it was the most lucrative profession out there. Shirabu just needed a reputable agency.

Even that wasn’t ideal, but - well. 

Frowning, Tendou figured they’d go with the best they could and then try and find ideal later.

“But you think he’ll be ok?” Semi asked.

“Yeah, baby,” Tendou said, hugging him tightly. “I think he’ll be ok.”

And he’d do everything he could to make sure that was always the truth.

The manga they'd bought that night sat in a pile on the table in front of them, looking untouched. In a while, maybe he could persuade Semi to read it with him. They could escape into the story, argue about characters, laugh at the jokes and talk about heroes.

The world needed heroes, after all.

Even if they would only ever be found in books.


End file.
